Awaken, Stardust (Episode)
Awaken, Stardust! (目覚め、スターダスト!, Mezame, Sutādasuto!) is the first episode of Mobile Suit Stardust Gundam. Summary A brief prologue explains that it's been more than half a century since the mass migration of humanity into space colonies. More than a few months ago, the group of colonies far from the earth, L-Ring 3, renamed themselves as the United Colonies of Arias and declared a war of independence against the Earth Union. The fighting only started 3 months ago, but the UCA is already forcing the Earth Union into a stalemate. The prototype ship EUS-0098 Grissomm is approaching Colony Ark, carrying project leader Owel Czeca to collect the components built for the Stardust Project and take them to Union HQ on Earth. Owel has a conversation with one of the ensigns assigned to protect him while on his trip, Doralus Reaver, about the "pride" of the project and how it'll put everything in their favor. The ship enters the colony, but unaware of an Arian ship tailing them: the Adonis. Meanwhile, in the colony, life goes on as usual as four people, Sigro Gale, Takumi Salamis, Anima Vedas, and Kara Fumiko, hang out around town. Anima and Kara talk about the war, with Kara fearing that it might end up here, but Anima dismisses it by saying that they're in the safest colony near Earth. Sigro and Takumi overhear them talking and Takumi brings up that Sigro's father, Dara Gale, is a test pilot for the Earth Union and wonders what kind of machines he has to test. Sigro brushes it off while the four continue their travel around the town. On board the Grissomm, Owel and Doralus end up in the launch bay for the Grissomm, where they meet with Daras about how getting the Stardust Project materials onboard is going. Dara says they're having trouble when the announcement is made that the Adonis was spotted. Owel and Doralus rush to the bridge to meet with the captain, Argis Van Sum, about their course of action, where he decided to have the colonists hide in the bunkers until the threat's gone. All throughout the colony, an announcement is made to hide until further instructions are given. This goes ignored by the four as they drive to the colony's space dock. Anima and Kara ask why they're driving to space dock instead of another place, when Takumi brings up that Sigro's dad is supposed to be coming there today. Anima asks what his father does, which Sigro answers by saying that he test pilots the Earth Union's experimental vehicles and has even shown Sigro how to pilot some of them. Meanwhile, the ship's commander, Darius Ceylon, sends in four AMS-1001 Aryan units and several infiltrators to the colony in order to do reconnaissance work on the Stardust Project components. They hide in the abandoned city while they observe the happenings of space dock, where the officers and engineers are trying to load the MHM2A-13581 Hawkmey Fighter and the MLRMA-13582 Reprisal Fighter into the ship with a M2PMS-131 Dyode carrying them in. One of the pilots decides to run in and attack, triggering the infiltrators in space dock (which have now surrounded the Grissomm) to open fire on the personnel. The colonist, which are about to enter the bunker, panic as the battle starts right in front of them. In the ship, Doralus fends off the nearby operatives while protecting Owel and taking him to his room for safety. Dara, while inside a Dyode, is stuck there both defending and loading the MHWMA-13580 Doraga Fighter into the ship. The other Dyode units are being destroyed one by one as the Aryans keep attacking them. The four get caught up the battle, as their car gets destroyed by the falling shells from the Aryans. They try to get to the bunker, but colonists are flooding out because the Grissomm called and told them that they can take them on board. Sigro separates from his group of friends and runs into a car carrying small components from the project. He asks them where his father is, them driving away, but yelling that he's in the dock. However, one of the Aryans sees them drive off and fires on them, blowing up the car. The force of the explosion launching both Sigro and a box containing the components away. Sigro gets up afterwards and realizes what just happened. He's about to run when he notices a book on the ground. It's a parts manuscript for the Stardust Project, containing sections for four mobile weapons, the first one being for the MC2MS-13579 Stardust Gundam. He carries the book and limps to space dock, the fighting having lessened. In the Adonis, Darius is peeved about his subordinates disobeyed his orders, but admits that this kind of attack will force the Earth Union to show their hand. He decides to call his commanding officer, Brez Wo Arias, about the situation and how it's unfolding. Brez is initially angry, but after realizing the implications, has back-up Aryans be sent to Darius' ship in the case that they actually destroy the units inside the colony. Sigro has limped to the last mobile weapon that's still at space dock, the Stardust Gundam. He climbs up to the open cockpit hatch and jumps into the seat. The cockpit closes as Sigro tinkers with the switches, but suddenly the lights start dimming as the view screen displays that the fuel is extremely low. Suddenly, Daras calls the Stardust in the vain event that someone didn't abandon the Gundam. Sigro answers, and the two catch up, but Daras asks what Sigro is doing there. He then dismisses the question and asks Sigro to turn on the reactor. He does so, with every vent on the body suddenly opening and sucking in the oxygen into the frame. Sigro realizes that it has a Star-Field Reactor as the fuel gauge increases. However, one of the Aryans notices and attacks the Gundam with its machine rifle, but the armor shrugs it off. Sigro uses the thrusters on its back to push it up as it lands on its four limbs. It gets on its feet as its optic sensors turn on and the cockpit inside brighten ups with a panoramic view of the battlefield. He fires the vulcans at the Aryan's head, taking out the giant optical sensor, while talking towards it. The Aryan pilot tries to get away, but the Stardust grabs the Aryan's head and rips it off. Suddenly, the vulcans empty out and Sigro tries to see if there's another weapon on board the Stardust, seeing a Beam Saber be in its arsenal. One of the Aryans tries to escape, but the Gundam rushes towards it and pulls out the saber, a beam blade forming from it and it being used to cut through the torso of the fleeing mobile suit. In that moment, the Dyode Daras is in comes out and gets attacked by the two other Aryans. The Aryan that was cut in half explodes, causing a tear in the colony's interior and a large hole into space. Sigro tries not to be sucked into the hole, while the crew inside the Dyode manages to take out one of the Aryans, but the other pulls out a heat knife and stabbed into the cockpit, killing everyone inside. Sigro manages to get out of the hole's pull on him and wonders where the other Aryan went. The last one tries to attack Sigro, but he manages to use the beam saber to pierce only the cockpit. He drops the Aryan to the ground while trying to call his dad, with no response. Sigro cries as he thinks he was in the damaged Dyode. He has the Stardust walk to space dock, with the surviving personnel outside seeing the mobile suit now active. Trivia *The episode uses bits and pieces from the first episode of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Gundam Rising. **The title of the episode is supposed to be an homage to the title of the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam.